It Was a Snap
by Shutupnkissme313
Summary: The final 2018 Romanogers prompt synched up with a story I was debating about putting on 'paper'. This is a tale of how those that survived Thanos' snap get together and are able to bring back the 1/2 of the universe that were taken away.


_**A/N: The final prompt of Romanogers week, 'The world may move on, but we're forever', tied very much with a post Infinity Wars tale percolating in my grey matter. I'll see if I can get it done. I do not own Avengers or Disney and no monetary gains are being made from this story.**_

 **It Was a Snap**

The water dripped off his freshly shaved face as he looked in the mirror; however he could still easily see the doubt that has been a part of him since that Siberian bunker. He stepped into the bedroom and looked at the spy sprawled under the sheets. He would try to let her sleep as much as possible. The call to Barton was heartbreaking. Although it could have been worse, losing their youngest to 'the snap'; none of the Barton family, including Auntie Nat, could find anything comforting about that.

He felt worse after the call to Pepper; their first conversation in over two years and he had no idea where Tony was. The soldier relayed everything Bruce had told him and also that Thor and another of their group, he had no idea how to succinctly explain Rocket to her, would be headed out after a group meeting to search for Tony, Spider Man, and the other potential heroes. She was thankful to go up to San Francisco to check on Scott Lang and his family. Traveling would not be a problem for her as Tony, without her knowledge, built her a suit that transported her to the rebuilt Malibu home after Happy disappeared. He let Rhodey finish the call with her to console one another and reassure Tony would be found.

He got to the chamber next to the Wakandan throne room at around 0745 for the meeting he scheduled at 0800. The withering looks he initially received when he made the announcement last night were assuaged by his statement, "We may not be able to get back all that we have lost today, but we damn sure are going to avenge them."

He walked around the table trying to determine where he would sit when he came across the chair he knew T'Challa, and he assumed his father, used as the head of the table. He carefully pushed it back in when a young voice called out, "I think he would want you to sit there today Captain."

He looked to Shuri and could see the tear tracks on her face and offered a smile before he stated, "No, that is not a seat for a broken white boy. It is for the leader of Wakanda." He pulled out the chair for her and she shook her head, "Shuri, this is just going to be a quick meeting before we try to track those that can help. If you do need our help with anything we'll be just a call away. I know you don't think you can handle this right now, but a week ago…"

"I did not know this would happen, I would never want it to happen…" as she started to cry he brought her into his arms offering a few words of comfort until she stopped and looked at him, "You did that on purpose."

He nodded his head and before she could ask 'why' he stated, "You needed to remember a little bit of who you were before the snap and realize she is needed for her people. Grief and loss can cause people to do horrible things; it can also allow them to do the noblest of things. Your people need you to guide them down the right path."

Shuri smiled at that and nodded, as she was leaving her voice echoed, "Just so you know I preferred the beard."

Bruce and Rhodey couldn't help but snicker at that as they walked in and found seats across from one another, Thor soon followed as did Rocket who just sat in a corner. "I think we can get started; Sam's mother and sister survived and neither wants to be relocated to Avengers HQ."

Bruce chimed in, "Aren't we going to wait for Natasha?"

"She is… was sleeping when I checked on her. I didn't have the heart to wake her. Clint, Laura, and the children will be picked up by you and Natasha and be brought back to HQ. Rhodey, you and I will be headed to San Francisco to pick up Pepper and hopefully Scott Lang, his family, and the Pym's." James nodded his head, "Thor, you and Rocket have the hardest part; trying to locate Tony, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and the Guardians." He noted Rocket's head perk up at the mention. "Is there anybody else that we should pick up or check on?"

Bruce shook his head, "I don't know if Betty Ross disappeared or not, but I know her father is still here. He was practically running to cameras trying to blame you for this, Steve." He shrugged his shoulders knowing there was little he could do about it.

Thor added, "Jane Foster disappeared, as did Selvig. Darcy told me this, I have no idea where or if there are any other Asgardians left." Everyone in the room nodded sympathetically to that.

"We're picking up Pepper and Thor's getting Tony… that's all I got," chimed in Rhodey.

"Ok, well try to eat before you leave and Thor, make sure you have a med kit and some supplies just in case. I'll talk with Shuri and see if there's anything we can do here to help. Ow?"

He looked to see a blonde spy staring at him unhappily until she noticed his lack of facial hair. "You decided to have the meeting without me even here," Natasha offered in an icy tone before she winked at him.

"It was brief… I already brought up Clint. You and Bruce will be picking them up, Thor and Rocket will be searching for the ones off planet, and Rhodey and I will get Pepper and Scott."

She shook her head once at that and he closed the gap and spoke in a hushed tone, "You have to get the Bartons," a quick nod, "Thor and Rocket," another quick nod, "Rhodey needs to get Pepper and I should apologize to Scott for upending his whole life, also the Pym's and Stark's have a decades-long feud." A frown marked his visage as he spoke the last portion.

A resigned sigh followed that before she whispered, "Don't think I don't know you're giving Bruce a chance to explain."

He sighed this time, "I think you both deserve it."

Natasha took a step back and exasperatedly stated, "You're right. Oh, Shuri wants you to think up a speech to be broadcast around the globe to help keep the peace."

He brought his right hand to the back of his head, "I don't think the people would respond…"

Rhodey spoke up, "That's bull Cap. There was just a poll that still had you higher in terms of trust than the Accords, Ross, or any of the Avengers. Tony was able to laugh that off," he added that last line as Steve had a worried look.

He nodded, "Ok, I'll go to Shuri in a minute and see if there's something that sounds like it remotely work." He walked over to the corner where Rocket was and sat down beside him as they began a conversation which was the first they had seen the raccoon make since his arrival. Soon after he placed his hand on the animal's shoulder, they both said short sentences to one another before they took off in different directions; the sorrow less evident on Rocket's face as he walked away to rendezvous with Thor.

"He came up with that SHIELD speech on the fly, didn't he?" Rhodey asked Natasha, who merely looked up and gave an emphatic nod, "Damn, I owe Sam ten bucks."

* * *

"Something unexplainable has happened, but you need to know…" Natasha flicked off the broadcast and looked back to find the scientist. Not seeing him she called out, "Banner, if you want to get your apology out before we get to Clint's; you should start now." As she heard him shuffling to the cockpit she quickly opened her cat suit and brought out the necklace she always wore, but kept it on the side away from Bruce as he sat down and gave the explanation which gave both the closure they needed especially after she showed Bruce the two items on that necklace.

* * *

"James, I'm at where the Pym's and Lang were at when it happened. I cannot make heads or tails of it and I don't want to risk anything by messing around with the controls."

"Ok, Pep. I've got a lock on your signal and there's a decent place to land and jet to you… his family?"

"His daughter Cassie is with me, but her mother and stepfather both disappeared."

A few minutes later War Machine appeared with a red, white, and blue clad Steve Rogers. War Machine and Pepper clanked as they went to hug the other and both started laughing. He headed to the nervous girl, "Hi, I'm Steve. Are you Cassie?" She nodded her head, but shrieked and jumped into his arms as a person dressed in all white approached the set up.

The person stopped and lifted her hood, "Captain Rogers?" He placed himself in between Cassie and this female before answering in the assentive. "I didn't mean to scare the girl. My name is Ava, my SHIELD cover was Ghost; but I think this is my fault." She explained the situation as Pepper and Rhodey approached and they looked over the controls, but could not make sense of them. Ava shook her head and pulled out her cell and called somebody. Her face and body relaxed as the conversation progressed. After hanging up she asked if either Pepper or Rhodey could pick up Dr. Foster.

While waiting for Rhodey to return with the Doctor, Steve got Cassie to draw, while he drew for her a portrait of her father. Cassie was thrilled with the picture as the rest of the group arrived and Dr. Foster began to make some sense of the machinery that was before them. As he found the 'recall' device he rolled it in his hand for a moment before calling Steve over, "This should bring Lang back… I cannot fathom either Hank or Janet going back in there without the other and Hope hasn't experienced the quantum realm, so he is the one in there. The problem is he may be safe in there, with whatever this Thanos' wish was… Lang being in there could have protected him. I can't bring him back and have his daughter watch him disappear."

Pepper could hear the scientist and Rhodey could gather the gist from the others' body language as he distracted Cassie. The soldier took the button in his hand, took a deep breath, turned towards the portal, and released the breath as he pushed the button. There was a noise of straining metal for a few seconds, then nothing. As a minute passed he turned to look at the scientist whose face was growing more solemn; then a thud caused everyone to look over as the Ant-Man suit was intact and human sized, but prone on the ground. He approached the suit carefully and just uttered out the word, "Scott," when Cassie rushed over screaming, "Daddy."

That seemed to snap Scott out of whatever haze he was in as he sat up and removed his helmet. He immediately called out, "Peanut," and was rewarded with Cassie leaping on him. Dr. Foster soon came over after shutting down the machine and grasped the container containing the material to help Ava. They were going to give Scott and Cassie as much time as they needed, but Scott took in his surroundings and noticed that none of the Pyms were there. His eyes widened as he noticed War Machine, but then soon noticed him.

"Scott, something bad has happened…"

"Mommy and Daddy Jim disappeared," Cassie cried out as she held her father tighter. Scott looked to the Captain with a sad look and the soldier could only nod as he approximated the fate of the people he was with before being sent to retrieve Ava's medication.

"Scott, we are gathering up everybody we think may be able to help us try to restore… is there anybody else we should look for here?"

Scott kissed his daughter, prompting a smile from her and asking her, "Is Luis still here?" Cassie nodded and before Steve could ask, "That was personal. As much as he means to me and as entertaining as his retelling the story would be, this seems much bigger than that. When are we going?"

"We all are going to be heading to Avengers HQ; I hear you've been there before Scott, but you should be treated better this time. When everybody gets back we'll take the next step. Ava, Dr. Foster; will you come with?"

* * *

Both readily agreed and were surprised to find they were the last ones back. The surprise led to a disappointment as they learned Nebula and Tony were the only ones to come back and that Tony's injuries were serious. Friday was able to run Dr. Cho's cradle which allowed Tony to recover much quicker than he would normally have and was resting after the procedure completed as Pepper and Rhodey went to Tony. The others, after Friday's insistence her 'Sir' was alright, made their way to the commissary and were able to find enough food and drink for at least a week with the current roster here. Clint insisted upon grilling hamburgers and hot dogs which was a hit for the children and brought Tony out of his room.

The reunion of the futurist and the soldier was not as awkward as one would expect since their respective female partners were both watching over them. The conversation was light during the meal as Tony's comment of, "Shame you got rid of the beard, but it wasn't as good as mine," brought laughter to everybody and settled any major tensions until Pepper and Laura took the children to the media room where they would watch a movie before bed.

The resulting strategy session caught everybody off guard as the soldier suggested a full frontal assault: Rocket, Tony, and Rhodey would start with a long range assault. At that point Friday sounded that an intruder had landed on the grounds. Thor and the captain rushed off to confront this person while Rhodey was waiting for his armor to gather; once it did he was delayed for another minute as Tony handed him something.

When Rhodey arrived he found Thor and the captain talking to a thirtyish year old blonde female dressed in some multi colored outfit that screamed '80's' to him. While the talking appeared amicable there was still some distrust on the woman's end. He approached the group slowly and retracted his face plate to show the female he was human. They stopped when he got within a few feet and watched as he presented the item to the soldier, a smile came across the female's face as she stated, "You are him," which lifted the doubt and as the three walked back to the others they learned she had been trailing Thanos' wake of destruction when she received the signal from Fury that she was needed back on Earth. As she relayed her powers, Thor and Rhodey could almost hear the soldier's mind plugging in her powers to the mix and both were pleased as a small smile graced his face.

The reformed battle plan seemed to give everybody a glimpse of hope. However when the captain started with, "When we defeat Thanos…" Tony interrupted with, "If," as the lingering doubts still held firm. The captain's response of, "Tony, if we cannot beat Thanos, how much will the aftermath matter?" left the mechanic in his own thoughts for a few minutes as the inner voice was taunting him with 'You're going to lose' was starting to be fought back with, 'We're going to win'. A few of the people were getting concerned by how quiet Tony had become when, "We're going to win!" was shouted by him, resulting in some chuckles from a number of his teammates and a whispered, "Glad you're on board, Tony," allowed a smiled exchange between the Civil War antagonists.

More than a few were unhappy with their initial role; none more than Clint who was to watch over Laura, Pepper, the kids, and Dr. Foster. Until it was pointed out there were still threats on the planet and if they needed protection or to escape Clint was the best option. The others were assuaged with not knowing how many of Thanos' minions survived the snap and would need to be dealt with concurrently as the soldier stated that everybody will probably be needed to get a shot at Thanos before he will go down.

* * *

The battle was harsh and bloody, but the latest formation of the Avengers won the day without any casualties. As Thanos coughed up some black goo, which apparently was his blood, he was able to laugh when they brought the gauntlet to him and asked about the missing stone.

"The first thing I did was to return the Soul stone to where I gained it. Good luck in getting it back to try and undo the tranquility I have brought to the galaxies." Another cough was followed by a long wheeze and eventually in a tired voice Thanos uttered, "Send your most valorous person there… and Nebula you can say goodbye to your sister," were the last words uttered by the most feared entity in the universe.

The captain looked around at the group surrounding the fallen Titan trying to figure out who was qualified for this when he noticed them all staring back at him. He shook his head before Tony spoke, "Cap, even I know that you have to be the one to do this." Everybody else nodded their heads before the soldier somberly asked if anyone knew where the Soul stone called home.

Another plan was quickly hatched where Thor sent all but Tony and Rocket to Wakanda to fight the remnants of Thanos' army. While those two would stay on Titan and await the hopeful return of the Guardians, Spiderman, and Dr. Strange with Thor who would take them to Wakanda and once that fight was complete to gather whomever was on Former and return before taking whatever next step was necessary. Captain Marvel convinced Thor to bring her back to Titan, just in case the 2nd snap would potentially bring Thanos back as well.

* * *

Thor dropped Nebula and the Captain off at the base of a mountain, but the Asgardians King merely shrugged when asked why he didn't bring them to the top of the mountain. During the hour long climb Nebula was intrigued why the Captain was not succumbing to the harsh temperature and so he told the story of his transformation and his encasement in the ice for over six decades when they reached a peak and noticed an all too familiar face that the Captain never dreamed of seeing again.

"Schmidt? What are you doing here?" The Captain stated as he made to a defensive position.

"My dear Captain it has been a long time and so many things have changed… except you…" at the soldier's shake of his head, the once leader of Hydra continued, "You may think you have, but Erskine found the correct person for his serum. I have been placed here as the Soul stone's watcher soon after the Tesseract sent me to Yggdrasil after my desire to acquire any of the other Infinity gems failed. I have learned some hard lessons here while watching others attempt to gather the stone and fail before Thanos succeeded…" The Red Skull looked at Nebula, "The price to obtain the stone is to sacrifice what you love most dearly… at the bottom of the cliff you will see what your father sacrificed."

Nebula made her way to the edge and peered down. A gasp followed by a shriek was the only noise for a few moments as the soldier made his way to the crestfallen alien. After ascertaining she was not going to jump down to Gamora's body the soldier opened the bag carrying the gauntlet and looked at it. He knew that simply reversing the snap was not sufficient to undo everything Thanos did in collecting the stones. When the formulation of the 'wish' he was going to make was completed he then put his mind as to what he needed to sacrifice.

Schmidt looked at the Infinity gauntlet with awe as he could feel the immense power emanating from it. For a nanosecond he was tempted to try and place his hand inside of it, but he was surprised as the doubt he could wield that amount of power overtook him. The soldier looked over to his mortal enemy staring at the gauntlet and shaking his head. This placed an idea in his head which the Captain chose to verbalize, "I will take the place of your current watcher after my one wish."

Both Nebula and the Red Skull snapped out of their respective stupors to stare at the soldier and try to figure out if they heard what they thought they had. All three noticed the Soul stone glow, along with one on the gauntlet and soon appeared a now red-headed spy zipping up her cat suit.

"Steve, what's going on?" Asked the Black Widow before her eyes turned to the other man there and went wide-eyed, "And what the hell is the Red Skull doing here?"

The soldier did not respond as the stone placed itself onto the gauntlet. He looked down and then looked to the woman in front of him, "Your hair… Nat, you are beautiful no matter the color, but red is my favorite." He bent down and kissed her thoroughly.

After they broke for needed oxygen she whispered out, "Steve, what did you do?"

"What I had to do," he answered resignedly, "Schmidt has been the keeper of the Soul stone soon after the Tesseract transported him away from the Valkyrie. He informed me in order to acquire the stone someone needed to sacrifice what they most love… I'm so sorry Natalia."

Multiple thoughts were running through the spy's head and they all led to the conclusion that he had to sacrifice her to restore the universe. She felt relatively calm as she felt that act would completely clear out her ledger, until she looked at the man who showed her love was not for children and realized by doing so that ledger would fall on him. Despite being the strongest, most resilient man she had known that this could break him. She now wondered if she was selfish in assuming that as she pondered about his subsequent return and the accolades he would receive for bringing back half the universe. He would hate that not only because he would feel undeserving of such talk, but it would serve as a reminder of this 'sacrifice'. She could see the others giving him space, but then something horrific would happen and the call would go out and of course he would answer it. Tears were streaming down her face as she croaked out, "Steve."

The soldier stared into her green eyes and hoped he could have the memory of her face when she woke up the morning after their wedding etched in his memory forever. He cautiously wiped her tears away as he kissed her cheeks before going over to the gauntlet. He placed his iconic shield on the ground and gave a wry smile as he said, "Give this back to Tony and tell him thanks for letting me borrow it."

He stooped down to pick up the gauntlet as Natasha was parsing over Steve's last remark and ran to him as she realized her assumption was completely wrong. Just as he placed the gauntlet on his hand, Natasha latched herself onto his torso. They stared into one another's eyes for only a moment, but it felt like forever as they both tried to convey everything that they felt before it was too late. They both could feel the power surging through them as Natasha guessed that her captain expressed his desire and was waiting for the snap and his disappearance. "God, I love you," was whispered in her ear as she could feel the beginning of the snap.

Natasha looked around as she and Steve were still held in each other's grasp, but nothing else seemed to be moving. Until she heard a voice that had only been described to her, "Fraulein, as my last act as the watcher of the stone it has instructed me to offer you the chance to take Captain Rogers place as the next watcher." He then moved closer to the couple and kinked his head as he looked at her, "Natalia Romanova…" was cut off.

"I already had my biography related to me by your underling a few years ago; I don't need to hear it again."

She was shocked as the personification of evil let out a belly laugh. "My dear, the stone has been filtering your and the good captain's thoughts since the stones brought you here and granted with the Time stone we are not limited in any sense if you wish to weigh the options."

"If your stone can read my mind it already knows the answer… it would break him and as much as the universe needs him I could not let him live that life."

"It knows, but I should point out that when this story is told there is a likelihood that many will assume that the Captain's great sacrifice was giving up his freedom and allowing me to have mine," the Black Widow gave her most menacing glare, "I know the truth. His sacrifice was his love for you. The stone was curious as it has not come across anybody quite like this 'kid from Brooklyn'. He added a portion to his wish… in addition to restoring everyone and everything that Thanos has killed or destroyed in his quest for the stones he asked to give you what you need to be happy."

"I'm guessing the stone already knows what that is as well."

"Yes."

SNAP

* * *

Nearly two hours later Thor appeared on top of the mountain just as two females and one male were emerging from the mist, "It is so good to see… What is going on?" Roared the Thunder God.

* * *

Just outside the Avengers HQ a rift opened and four people stepped through. They were greeted by a shocked Bruce Banner who explained to Thor that he was outside as the rest were talking with somebody who would cause the Big Guy to come out when he noticed the other male who came through was not Steve Rogers, but somebody else he had researched. Thor noticed the green hue start around his eyes and quickly explained what he had been told. The scientist looked at the Red Skull and tried to calm himself as he noticed what he was carrying. "Thor, you need to take the shield; Schmidt you need to stay here… if Barnes sees you he will not stop until you are dead, Sam and Tony probably will be right behind him."

"The Captain said for this to be given to a Tony and to thank him for letting him borrow it. While I may not have the same mindset I once did I am not foolish enough to believe I can remain here. I am hoping to take my leave with the others who do not reside on Earth before anything can draw attention to my appearance." Bruce was stunned by the HYDRA leader's words, but more so from the awe and reverence he was looking at the shield with. Schmidt felt the scientist looking at him, "This object was the bane of my existence, for so long it represented why I was where I was instead of ruling over this planet. However holding it I cannot help… I once called him a simpleton with a shield. I consider myself somebody of great intelligence, but that was probably the most ignorant thing I have ever uttered."

Schmidt handed the iconic item to Thor who held it in much the same manner, but before the King of Asgard made it inside the building he heard Schmidt state he had the last words and wishes of their two compatriots. Thor halted, nodded mutely while turning around and walked inside with the shield and the bag containing the gauntlet.

* * *

Thor's entrance went inconspicuously as he was not his usual boisterous self. He studied the room and the joy throughout it, especially the group gathered around Star-Lord and Gamora's amorous reunion. He could not help but smile as he felt two arms encircle his waist and for a moment felt peace. He looked down to see the astrophysicist beaming up at him, but her brows began to crinkle as she wordlessly asked if he was alright. He slightly shook his head.

"Were the remaining Asgardians brought back?" she whispered.

The King nodded his head, "Yes, they are on the ship headed to New Asgard. I shall join them soon; however it would be more joyous if I could bring their future queen with me."

Jane Foster could only stare blankly for a few seconds, before she mumbled, "Yes," Thor now smiled brightly as she began to ramble, "I mean if that is what you were asking, I mean the last words we had with each other were not pleasant… The answer is still yes… unless you've changed…" Thor brought her to a kiss that caught the attention of Darcy whose loud shriek of happiness stopped everybody else to look at the now reunited couple.

The engagement controlled the room for a few minutes until Bucky, Sam, and Tony all seemed to notice at the same time that Thor was not only carrying the gauntlet bag, but also a particular red, white, and blue circularly shaped object. Thor felt the sudden shift of attention and turned to look at the trio who made their way to the front of those surrounding the couple. His visage saddened and gave a quick shake of his head as the former Winter Soldier collapsed to his knees and was soon followed by Sam Wilson.

The once exuberant room was now still and quiet. Tony was able to break the silence by croaking out, "What did he do to get the stone?"

Thor's body stiffened at that and needed a second attempt before he was able to relate the story relayed to him. After hearing Johann Schmidt's name almost everyone turned to the now standing and enraged Sergeant Barnes. Thor handed the shield to Bucky who was led to a couch by Sam and T'Challa as he clutched the iconic symbol to him. Bruce at that point poked his head in and made sure the transmission to Thunderbolt Ross was completed. Viewing the three people on the couch he sighed and looked up for any help from any possible deity listening to his wordless plea that the next few minutes will not end in bloodshed before opening the door completely and ushering in the guest nobody would have invited.

The entrance of the former leader of HYDRA went unnoticed for about three seconds before he was confronted by another similarly hued individual. "A few years ago I made a statement that the threats facing humanity grew in relation to the number of individuals protecting it. I was mistaken… it all started with you." Schmidt solemnly nodded his head as the android appeared to be caught in its own mind inserting this fact into his previous postulations.

The eerie silence was ended a minute later as Laura, Pepper, and Wanda brought back Nathaniel after a diaper change. The other two women looked at Wanda as she began emanating a scarlet hue and began searching the room for something.

Tony provided the next distraction as he walked up to the first person injected with Erskine's serum and poked the man in the chest. "Please don't tell me Capsicle gave up his life for you."

Schmidt shook his head as everybody could hear Barnes drop the shield and get up from the couch. "He did not," the Red Skull started quickly, "The main reason I am here is to relay the story correctly. I was the keeper of the Soul stone for many decades and was witness to many failed attempts at claiming it. It was a surprise that Thanos was able to garner the stone as I could not see how he was capable of understanding the concept of love. The key to getting the stone was to sacrifice what you love most. When the Captain offered to take my place I was under the same impression that you just made. He was sacrificing his love of freedom for his mortal enemy, but the stone saw past that and brought the red haired spy to the planet to test his resolve."

"Whoa, are you saying Cap and Red admitted what they felt about the other?" Stark interjected.

Bruce, in a calm voice, answered the question to the entire group, "When Natasha and I went to pick up Clint and his family we had a nice talk and at the end of it she showed me what she wore around her neck; Steve's dog tags and a ring. They've been married for almost a year."

Suddenly the crowd shifted its attention to Sam, who looked as surprised as everybody else, "I knew they had gotten much closer… They shared a room because of their nightmares; Nat was best at calming Steve down and he was the only one who could get within two feet of her when she was in the midst of one… It had to be when they went off to Paris for a supposed Hydra recon with Fury."

The former head of SHIELD then spoke up, "I never met with either of them in Paris or anywhere else. We did communicate over the phone and by other means, but I've been back in the States for two years."

Sam spoke up again, "Wanda, did you know?" He stopped his speech as he found the Scarlet Witch kneeling beside the bag the gauntlet was in with a serene and happy smile upon her face.

"They are in a room set up exactly like this," she stood up and looked around the room, "They are dancing and surrounded by everybody here and others… his parents, her parents…" she sighed contentedly before shaking her head slightly, "I suspected, but did not pry; just as they have never pried when I would go meet with Vis." She stared up at the ceiling as she revealed the brightest smile she was capable of, "They are so happy."

They looked questioningly to the Red Skull who responded with, "Until recently the stone treated me in a way neither Dante nor de Sade would dare describe. After it broke me the stone would occasionally intersperse more pleasant memories: I would find myself in Bavaria with my school friends. I had a feeling the stone would treat him differently; as it made an offer to Ms. Romanova to take Rogers' place. In the end it chose to allow them to remain side by side."

This explanation satisfied everybody, including the lone Howling Commando left standing. The party resumed and a spectacular time was had by all, as there was dancing, and eating, and surprisingly limited drinking for the revelers. At some point early in the morning a small gathering: Tony, Pepper, T'Challa, Bruce, Carol, Thor, Hank Pym, Maria Hill, Stephen Strange, Gamora, Quill, Vision, and Wanda found themselves sitting at a table with the gauntlet sitting in the midst of it delegating where, how, and who would be the caretakers for the infinity gems. Vision's surprising choice of not reincorporating the Mind stone into his CNS made it slightly more difficult in delineating the responsibilities.

The easiest choice was returning the Time stone to Dr. Strange. Thor chose to take the Reality stone to New Asgard rather than the Space stone (Tesseract). Quill offered to bring that stone to Xandar instead of the Power stone. Captain Marvel stated she had a place where the Power stone would be safe and T'Challa offered Wakanda as the host of the Mind stone. Which left the fate of the Soul stone up in the air; for a few moments it appeared that Hank's suggestion of placing it in the quantum realm was going to win until Janet made an appearance. She stated there were two reasons not to: combining the power of the Soul stone within the quantum realm could overload one or the other and the consequences could be dire. The second is tracking it would be impossible and potentially somebody else making their way into the realm could find the stone without anybody finding out about it, until it was too late. Wanda then made the suggestion that eventually was agreed upon: allowing Bucky to find the 'final resting place' for his best friend. During the final discussions it soon became obvious that Wanda was distracted as she was smiling and humming to a song nobody else could hear until she blushed and shook her head.

"They aren't dancing anymore," was all the Scarlet Witch would admit to anybody else.

* * *

(Epilogue July 4, 2068)

"Happy Birthday punk. You'd better be treating your lady right or…"

"Buck, you should know how I am treating Nat." The soldier beamed as he took a closer look and had a sad smile as he noticed his lifelong, and beyond, friend is starting to show the signs of old age: hair mostly gray, lines around the face, and his movements are not smooth. "How have you been? Getting tougher to chase the grandkids around?" was offered with a genuine smile, until the former Winter Soldier noticed a flinch from his captain.

"Stop it, you don't need to poke fun at the other old man," smirked a red-haired spy who made her way around the solider to look upon James Barnes, "Actually, Steve is right. You look like hell."

All three laughed at the remark and they sat down and reminisced about what has happened since his last visit and that they should expect a plethora of the 2nd generation Avengers to drop by within the next week. The time seemed to pass quickly before Bucky grunted while rising and bid his farewell. After taking a few steps away he turned to look back at the couple who was in the midst of a kiss. He couldn't help but smile as when the kiss ended he could hear his friend whisper, "The world may move on, but our love is forever." The look the Black Widow gave was one that anybody who knew her before Steve Rogers entered her life would be gob smacked. It was a look of complete love, surprisingly the look grew more intense as the soldier made his way down and kissed the extended abdomen of the spy before they faded into the ether.

 _ **A/N: Obviously if there was a deadline I missed it. This story was edited down as it started to get away from the main purpose of it and I hope it still makes sense. I am still working on my other two stories the Cap/Chuck one is almost complete while I am working on a non Chuck/Sarah chapter to help explain some relationships in Eliza Doolittle. I do not expect Avengers 4 to be a happy ending to Cap. I expect RDJ to get the epic sacrificial death, but in an off the wall suggestion: Natasha, not Bucky or Sam gets to be the next to take the mantle(shield) of Captain America.**_


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